North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets Russian president Vladimir Putin in Beijing as aides meticulously erase all traces of his presence, underscoring Pyongyang’s secretive security protocols.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s rare trip to Beijing has once again highlighted the extreme security protocols surrounding him. After a two-hour meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Kim’s aides were caught on video meticulously wiping down every surface he touched.
The video, posted by Russian journalist Alexander Yunashev on Telegram, captured North Korean crew members cleaning Kim's chair, side table, and even taking away his drinking glass on a tray. Yunashev commented that the team "thoroughly eradicated all evidence of Kim's visit," highlighting Pyongyang's spy paranoia.
Experts say it's nothing new. Kim also brings along a personal toilet so that waste samples cannot be intercepted and, at previous summits, his security has sanitized chairs, barricaded hotel rooms, and even taken out mattresses to leave no personal trace behind. Experts say such measures are designed to prevent foreign intelligence from having any insight into his health issues.
ALSO READ: Who is Kim Ju-ae? North Korea Kim Jong Un Introduces His Daughter on Global Stage
The Beijing meeting, staged on the margins of a Chinese president Xi Jinping-hosted military parade, witnessed Kim and Putin renewing their bond. Kim committing undying unity, he told Putin, "If there is anything I can or must do for you and the Russian people, I consider it my duty as a fraternal obligation."
Putin, referring to him as "Dear Chairman of State Affairs," expressed gratitude to North Korea for sending close to 13,000 soldiers last year to push back at a Ukrainian invasion of Russia's Kursk province. Their cordial exchange again underscored the intensifying military and political collaboration between the two nations.
Both countries have deepened their alliance after signing a mutual defense agreement in 2024, being increasingly aligned against Western sanctions. Kim's Beijing trip was his first overseas visit since the pandemic, marking a heightened effort to project North Korea as a strategic ally in the new world order.
While Kim's excessive security precautions might set eyebrows a-tilting, he is not the only head of state exercising such paranoia. According to reports, even Putin's own security detail takes his trash when he travels abroad, so no DNA traces fall into other nation’s hands.
For Kim Jong Un, the message appears definite: in diplomacy, leaving no trace is as vital as the words exchanged at the negotiating table.
